Senate Resolution No. 13

Introduced by Senator Jackson

February 24, 2015

Senate Resolution No. 13—Relative to Women’s History Month.

WHEREAS, American women of every culture, class, and ethnic
background have participated in the founding and building of our
nation, made historic contributions to the growth and strength of
our nation, and played a critical role in shaping the economic,
cultural, and social fabric of our society, not in the least of ways
through their participation in the labor force, working both inside
and outside the home; and

WHEREAS, Women have been leaders in every movement for
social change, including their own movement for suffrage and
equal rights, the fight for emancipation, the struggle to organize
labor unions, and the civil rights movement, as well as leading the
call for peace and organizing to preserve the environment; and

WHEREAS, In light of these efforts and the achievements of
all American women, we take this opportunity to honor women
and their contribution to the development of our society and our
world; and

WHEREAS, The celebration of Women’s History Month will
provide an opportunity for schools and communities to focus
attention on the historical role and accomplishments of the women
of California and the United States, and for students, in particular,
to benefit from an awareness of these contributions; and

WHEREAS, Women’s History Month will be not only a call to
acknowledge the outstanding American women whose names we
know, but also a call to pay homage to the many women who have
anonymously shaped our collective past; and

WHEREAS, The observance of Women’s History Week was
initiated by the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of
Women in 1977, a celebration that evolved into Women’s History
Month, commemorated throughout the nation by schools,
historians, and community groups; and

WHEREAS, The achievements of women who have gone before
us will enable contemporary women and men to create tomorrow’s
history by working toward an end to physical and sexual violence
against women, discrimination and harassment in employment,
and the relegation to poverty status of many women, and by
advocating for the full participation of women in the economic
and political arena, the provision of adequate child care, respect
for those who choose homemaking and motherhood as their career,
and equal access to all of the opportunities this great nation has to
offer; and

WHEREAS, The story of the women’s rights movement
deserves telling because of the significance and scope of women’s
role in making history and shaping the cultural and societal makeup
of California and the United States, and because it is a rich part of
our common heritage, a story of gallantry and devotion to the belief
that the opportunity for complete human dignity should not be
denied to one-half of the state and the nation; now, therefore, be
it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate
of the State of California takes pleasure in joining the California
Commission on the Status of Women and Girls in honoring the
contributions of women, and proclaims the month of March 2015
as Women’s History Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the Chair of the California State Legislative
Women’s Caucus and to the Chair of the California Commission
on the Status of Women and Girls for distribution to appropriate
organizations.